SpaceX Wants to Triple the Amount of Satellites Orbiting Earth, Give World Fast Internet
SpaceX has ambitious plans to place myriad more satellites into Earth’s orbit with the purpose of delivering high-speed internet coverage worldwide.
This month the aerospace company filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission to launch 4,425 satellites. This would dramatically increase the number of satellites orbiting Earth—according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, only 1,419 active satellites are currently orbit our planet.
Indeed, even if counting the 2,600 dead satellites floating in space, SpaceX’s fleet would be larger than everything already in space.
The company’s satellites would be considerably smaller and lighter than average, however, with a strict focus on delivering broadband and communications services for residential, commercial, and governmental users—at speeds of up to one gigabit per second.
SpaceX’s plan is a staggered approach, launching satellites in stages at different altitudes.
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